Automatic door opener and closer.



. iimm i @M Aw Q n L 3 #w w n .Q ,1 a a v t /H\ a m No. 819,583. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

K. NISHIMOTO. AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER AND CLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-9, 1906.

Minesses:-

ANDREW. a. 12mm co Puorc-umocauuws wasumcrou u c.

No. 819,583. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

' K. NISHIMOTO.

AUTOMATIC DOOROPBNER AND CLOSER.

PLIOATI N FILED THE. 9 A? O 1906 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ANDREW. s. tan-mm co. FMOYQUTHQGRAPNERS wasmncruu, u a

PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3 K. NISHIMOTO.

AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER AND CLOSER.

APPLIGATION FILED F3119, 1906.

ANDREW a. GRAHAM co. womumunnwuzns wnsmnmcm u c. I

No. 819,583. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906. K. NISHIMOTO.

AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER AND CLOSER APPLICATION FILED PEB.9,1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4L v I /lY// l/(QV j Y/ 44" 45' M;

Pia/M88888! lnmeintor UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUTOMATIC DOOR OPENER AND CLOSER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

:atented ,May 1, 1906.

Application filed February 9, 1906. Serial No. 300,265.

To all whon'z, it 'lI'l/(l/Z/ concern:

Be it known that I, KENZAEMON Nrsnr- MOTO, a citizen of Japan, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Door Openers-and Closers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to means for automatically opening and closing doors. Its object is to provide a means whereby a door hung to swing in either direction may be opened and closed automatically through the medium of the weight of the person desiring to pass through the doorway and without touching the door itself in any manner.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and the combination of parts, as

hereinafter more fully described and claimed,

having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of part of my apparatuswith the platforms brokenaway, omitting the drive connections shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the drive connections for the upper sprockets. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the drive connections for the lower sprockets. Fig. 4 1s an elevatlon 1n partial section of the drive connections, omitting the mechanism shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5

is a detail of the means for setting a segment in operation and for actuating a stop block.

.Fig. 6 is .a detail of the segment-locking .means.

Fig. 7 is an end view, in partial section, of the platforms and the means for preventing the simultaneous operation of the two platforms. Fig. 8 is an elevationof a sprocket and clutch-lever. Fig. 9 is an en larged detail of a segment and its connections. Fig. 10 is a detail of a stop-block in normal inoperative position. Fig. 11 is a plan view of same in operative position.

In the embodiment of my invention I have shown the double doors A A hung to swing in either direction and normally held closed and in the same plane by the springs 2 and connecting-rod 3, acting on the two arms 4, which are rigid with the door-shafts 5. The arms and springs and the operating mechanism for opening and closing the doors, to be described, are arranged beneath the floor. The doors are fixed to their respective shafts 5 so as to turn in unison with them. If desired, the shafts may be spring-supported in the doors to relieve shock, as in my former supported, as on the pivot-.shaft7, along their adjacent edges and areresiliently supported at their edges on the springs 8. Suitable mechanism constituting my inventionis employed to open the doors simultaneously in one direction and away from one platform when that platform is depressed and to open the doors simultaneously in the opposite direction when the other platform is depressed.

9 represents a power-shaftreceiving con stant motion in one direction from any suit-' able source of power and shown asarranged vertically and centrally beneath the door and under the floor. This shaft carries the upper and lower sprockets 1011. An endless chain 12, Figs. 2 to 4, engages the upper sprocket 10 and passes between guide-sprockets 13 and around loose sprockets 14 on the door shafts 5. This chain is crossed on one side of shaft 9 and is adapted to revolve the sprockets 14 constantly and in opposite directions to each other.

A similar chain 15,'Figs. 3 and 4, engages the lower sprockets ll -and passes between the adjustable guide-sprockets 16 andaround the loose sprockets 17 on the fdoor-sh-afts 5. The chain 15 is crossed, so that while 'the sprockets 17 revolve constantly and in opposite direction to one another yet their direction of revolution is opposite to that of the upper sprockets 14.

Suitable clutch mechanism is provided .in

conjunction with each pair of sprockets 14 17, so that when the platform 6 isstepped upon the sprockets 14 will be locked to the doorshafts and the doors made to open away from platform 6, and similarly the sprockets 17 will be locked to the door-shafts whenever platform 6 is depressed to cause the doors to open in unison away from platform 6. This clutch mechanism and means for operating the same are here represented as follows:

Each platform carries near its outered ea depending rod or projection 18, Fig. 5,'s idable in a suitable guide 19. Normally lisposed in the path of projection 18 is a plate 20, which is swivelly mounted at 20..tohave a limited oscillatory movement in both a horizontal and in a vertical plane. This plate is normally maintained in thepath of projection 18 by the spring 21, and a rod 22 is pivoted to the plate and carries a hook member 23 at its free end, which is 'engageable by the connecting-rod 3 when the doors are opened away from this plate 21. The purpose of plate 21 and rod 22 will be explained shortly.

It will be understood that the mechanism 0 erated by each platform is duplicated. The e ements which are operated by platform 6 are indicated by primed numerals.

A dog 24,fulcrumed at 25 to swing in a vertical plane, is arranged with one end beneath plate 20 and in the line of rod 18 and has the other end adapted to en age with a se ment 26 in such fashion as todimit the oscilTatory movement of the latter. A spring 27, connected with the lever 24, tends to hold the dog 24 in operative locked position with the segment, the latter having a square cut-away end normally abutting against the side of the dog 24.

The segment 26 is fulcrumed at 28, and a spring 29 tends constantly to turn the segment in one direction. A rod 30 is pivoted to the segment on the side of fulcrum 28 opposite to spring 29. This rod 30 has a hook member 31, which is adapted to be engaged by the connecting-bar 3 when the doors are opened away from platform 6. The purose of the rod 30 is to reset the segment and allow it to be relocked by dog 24 when the doors are fully opened, and the purpose of the rod 22 isto insure this resetting of the segment 26 in case the weight has notbeen removed from platform 6, as will be more fully explained hereinafter.

A link 32 connects to the segment on the side of fulcrum 28 opposite to spring 29 and also connects withia sliding bar 33, which operates two bell-crank levers 34 Each bellcrank lever operates a respective rod 35, and

each rod 35 carries a wedge member 36.

Each wedge member 36 is designed to be thrust forward on the release of the segment from its dog 24 into the path of a projection 37 on a clutch-lever 38, carried by a sprocket 14. Each lever 38 has an upwardly-extending projection 39 operative at right angles to the sprockets and adapted when projected upward to engage an arm 40, which is turnable with a door-shaft 5.

It will be understood that the rods 35 when they are operated by the platform 6 will act on the levers 38 on the two sprockets 14 to lock simultaneously both of these sprockets to their respective shafts 5, so that both doors will be opened simultaneously away from platform 6. Corresponding rods 35, which are operated by platform 6, will actuate respective clutch-levers 38 on the lower sprockets 17 to lock these sprockets to the doorshafts 5 and cause the doors to open away from the platform 6. Each of the loose sprockets on the door-shafts is provided with a clutch-lever 38 or 38.

When a door is opened to its fullest extent, which is assumed to be not to exceed ninety degrees, a projection 42 on the side of lever 38 on'the side of said lever opposite to the projection 37 is engaged by a fixed cam 43, which causes the end of the lever to ride up on the cam, thereby depressing projection 39 and removing it out of engagement with the arm 40. This allows the doors to swing closed again through the medium of the connecting-springs 2.

Although the power-shaft 9 and the sprockets 14 17 are turning constantly, the speed of the sprockets 1-4 17 is so moderated that when either set of sprockets is locked to the doorshafts the setting-in motion of the shafts and doors will not be so abrupt as to cause breakage or other injury to the apparatus.

Assuming platform 6 to have been stepped upon to release the segment 26 and interpose the sliding cams 36 in the path of the clutchlevers 38 to open the doors away from platform 6, the springs 2 and connecting-rod 3 are carried into the position indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 1, when the doors are approaching full-open position. Prior to reaching this open position, however, the rod 3 engages the hook 31 to turn the segment back into the normal position (shown in full lines) to allow the locking lever or dog 24 to drop down again and engage the segment and hold it against the tension of the spring 29. It is possible, however, that a person may not step off of the platform 6 immediately, and hence it is necessary that some provision be made to insure the relocking of the segment in normally operative position against the tension of spring 29 in any event. This resetting of the segment 26 is assumed by the stop-plate 20, rod 22, and hook 23. As the door approaches its full-open position and subsequent to the engagement of the sliding cams 36 with the clutch-levers 38 and prior to the engagement with the hook 31 the hook 23 is engaged by the rod 3 to rock plate 20 horizontally and remove it from between rod 18 and dog 24. The thickness of the interposed end of plate 20 is sufficient to permit the dog 24 to resume its normally locked position with respect to segment 26 when the latter has been pulled around a moment later by the engagement of the rod 3 with the hook 31 and independent of platform 6. a

The following means are provided to prevent both platforms being operated simultaneously, as in case two persons approaching from opposite directions should come upon both platforms at the same time or in case one person is on one platform and the doors are opening away from him and another per son should come upon the other platform before the doors are fully opened: Each platform carries near its outer edges the projections 44 44 and 45 and 45', Figs. 1 to 5 and 7, the projections 44 45 and 44 45 in each amass are depressed to kick their bell-cranks 46 and shift the rods 48 toward the opposite platform 6 and interpose a set of blocks 50 under the projections '44 on said platform 6.

If platform 6 should then be stepped upon, it would not be depressed, since it would be held up by the blocks 50.

The blocks 50 50 are held in normal inoperative position with respect to the projections 44 44 by means of the springs 51 51, whichconstantly press'outwardly in opposition to each other against the projections 52 on the rods 48.

As long as weight is on one platform the previously-described means are sufficient to'keep the other platform from b'eing depressed; but

inasmuch as a erson going through the doorway will step om one platform to the other it is essential that the second platform be not allowed to sink until the doors start to close.

Hence it is that the following means are provided to temporarily check the withdrawal of one or the other set of blocks 50 50 from beneath their respective projections 44 or 44.

A spring-actuated latch member 53 is arranged with respect to each block 50 50, as shown in Figs. 5 to and 11. the blocks 50 50 in inoperative position between respective projections 44 44 the latches 53 53 will bear against the side of the respective blocks 50 50. The moment, however,'that the rod is shifted to move block 50 under the projection 44 the latch 53 will automatically project behind the block 50, as indicated in Fig. 11, and hold the rod 48 in opposition to the springs 51 51. Likewise if the rod'48 is shifted in the other direction, as it is when platform 6 is stepped upon, to interpose the block 50 beneath the projection 44 the latch member 53 will beprojected in behindthe block 50 and prevent the withdrawal of the block 50 even after the weight has been removed from the platform 6. This latch isretracted, however, as soon as the doors are'fully opened by the engagement of a projection 54 on an arm 4, Fig. 4, with a respective bell-crank-lever 55 or 55. These levers 55 55 are suitably positioned relative to the arc of movement of the arms '4. The rocking of a bell-crank lever 55, for example, operates a bell-crank lever 56', 'Which has one arm connected with a latch Thus if platform 6 is stepped upon its projections Normally with member 53 and similarly with respect to lever 55.

The operation of this part of the apparatus is as follows: WVhen platform 6 is depressed, rod 48 is shifted to carry block under the projection 44 to hold up platform 6, and the latch member 53 springs in behind block 50 to prevent the withdrawal of the latter from beneath projection 44 when weight is taken off of platform 6. When thelatch 53 spirngs in behind block 50, the bell-crank lever is rocked to bring one of its arms into thepath of the approaching projection 54 on arm 4.

As the door approaches its full opening movement this projection 54 encounters a bellcrank lever 55 and rocks the lever 56 to retract the latch 53. Since the weight has been removed from platform 6, the rod 48 is free to act by reason of the tension of spring 51, and so carry the block 50 out from'beneath projection 44.

While I have shown the invention applied to double doors, it is manifest that it is equally applicable to a single swinging door. V

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by LettersPatcut, is

1. In apparatus of the character described, the combination of a drive-shaft having constant motion in one direction, a driven shaft, a door carried by the driven shaft, a loose sprocket on the driven shaft, flexible connections between the sprocket and the driveshaft to rotate the sprocket constantly, a hinged platform, and .means operable by the platform to lock the sprocket to the driven shaft to turn the door.

2. The combination of a drive-shaft having constant motion in one direction, a doorshaft on each side of said drive-shaft, loose sprocketson said door-shafts, means for operating said sprockets constantly in unison from the drive-shaft, a hinged platform, and means to lock said sprockets to their respective door-shafts.

3. The combination of a drive-shaft, doorshafts on each side of said drive-shaft, loose sprockets on the door-shafts, flexible connections between the sprockets and drive-shaft to operate the sprockets in unison, a hinged platform, and means operable by the platform to lock the sprockets to their respective door-shafts.

' 4. The combination of a drive-shaft, doorshafts on each side thereof, upper and lower sets of loose sprockets on the door-shafts,

flexible connections between the upper set of sprockets and the drive-shafts to operate the sprockets in said set in opposite directions to each other, flexible connections between the sprockets of the lower set and the drive.- shafts to' operate the sprockets in said lower set in opposite direction to each other and in the reverse direction to the direction of mo- IIO tion of the upper set of sprockets, hinged plat forms, means operable by one of said platforms to lock the upper set of sprockets to their respective door-shafts, and means operable by the other platform to lock the lower set of sprockets to the door-shafts.

5. The combination of a drive-shaft, doorshafts on each side thereof, upper and lower sets of loose sprockets on the door-shafts, flexible connections between the upper set of sprockets and the drive-shafts to operate the sprockets in said set in opposite directions to each other, flexible connections between the sprockets of the lower set and the drive-shaft to operate the sprockets in said lower set in opposite directions to each other and in the reverse direction to the direction of motion of the upper set of sprockets, hinged platforms, means operable by one of said platforms to lock the upper set of sprockets to their respective door-shafts, means operable by the other platform to lock the lower set of sprockets to the door-shafts, and means operable by one platform to prevent the operation of the other platform.

6. The combination of a driveshaft, a door shaft, a door carried by the door-shaft, a loose sprocket on the door-shaft, flexible connections between the drive-shaft and sprocket to operate the latter constantly, a hinged platform, a clutch member carried by the sprocket, a corresponding clutch member carried by the doorshaf t, and means operable by the platform to actuate one of said clutch members to lock the sprocket to the doorshaft.

7. The combination of a door-shaft, a door carried thereby, a loose sprocket on the doorshaft, means for operating the sprocket, a hinged platform, a movable clutch member carried by the sprocket, a corresponding clutch member carried by the door-shaft, and means operable by the platform to actuate said movable clutch member to lock the sprocket to the doorshaft.

8. The combination of a door-shaft, two loose sprockets thereon, means for rotating said sprockets in opposite directions, clutch members carried by said sprockets, corre sponding clutch members carried by the door-shaft, two hinged platforms, and means operable by said platforms to actuate a respective clutch member to lock one or the other of the sprockets to the door-shaft.

9. The combination of a door-shaft, two loose sprockets thereon, means for rotating said sprockets in opposite directions, clutch members carried by said sprockets, corre sponding clutch members carried by the door-shafts, two hinged platforms, means operable by said platforms to actuate respective clutch members to lock one or the other of the sprockets to the door-shaft, and means for preventing the actuation of both clutches at the same time.

10. The combination of a door-shaft, two loose sprockets thereon, means for rotating said sprockets in opposite directions, clutch member's carried by said sprockets, corresponding clutch members carried by the door-shaft, two hinged platforms, means operable by said platforms to actuate respective clutch members to lock one or the other of the sprockets to the doorshaft, and a sliding member operable by one platform and interposable in the path of the other platform to prevent the actuation of both clutches at the same time.

11. The combination of a door-shaft, two loose sprockets thereon, means for rotating said sprockets in opposite directions, clutch members carried by said sprockets, corresponding clutch members carried by the door-shaft, two hinged platforms, means operable by said platforms to actuate respective clutch members to lock one or the other of the sprockets to the door-shaft, means for preventingthe actuation of both clutches at the same time, said last-named means including a shiftable rod, stop members on the rod, and connections between the platforms and the rod to shift the latter on the actuation of one platform to interpose one of said stop members in the path of the other platform.'

12. The combination of two hinged platforms, a door-shaft between the platforms, means operable on the depression of one platform to turn the door-shaft in one direction, means operable on the depression of the other platform to turn the door-shaft in the other direction, and means to prevent the operation of both platforms at the same time, said last-named means including a shiftable rod, stop members carried by said rod, respective projections on the platforms in the path of said stop members, connections between the platforms and the rod to shift the latter to interpose one of said stops in the path of the respective projection, and means to hold the stop members in normal inoperative position.

13. The combination of two hinged platforms, a door-shaft between the platforms, means operable on the depression of one platform to turn the door-shaft in one direction, means operable on the depression of the other platform to turn the door-shaft in the other direction, and means to prevent the operation of both platforms at the same time, said last-named means including a shiftable rod, stop members carried by said rod, respective projections on the platformin the path of said stop members, connections between the platforms and the rod to shift the latter to interpose one of said stops in the path of the respective projection, means to hold the stop members innormal inoperative position, and means independent of the platforms to maintain a stop in operative position with respect to its projection.

14. The combination of two hin ed platforms, a door-shaft between the p atforms, means operable on the depression of one platform to turn the door-shaft in one direction, means operable on the depression of the other platform to turn the door-shaft in the other, direction, and means to prevent the operation of both platforms at the same time, said last-named means including a shiftable rod, stop members carried by said rod, respective projections on the platform in the path of said stop members, connections between the platforms and the rod to shift the latter to interpose one of said stops in the path of the respective projection, means to hold the stop members in normal inoperative position, means independent of the platforms to maintain a stop in operative position with respect to its projection, and means operative by the turning of the door-shaft to release said stop from its operative position.

15. The combination of two hinged platforms, a door-shaft between the platforms, means operable on the depression of one platform to turn the door-shaft in one direction, means operable on the depression of the other platform to turn the door-shaft in the other direction, and means to prevent the operation of both platforms at the same time, said last-named means including a shiftable rod, stop members carried by said rod, respective projections on the platform in the path of said stop members, connections between the platforms and the rod to shift the latter to interpose one of said stops in the path of the respective projection, means to hold the stop members in normal inoperative position, a latch member engageable with each stop to hold the latter in operative position with respect to its projection, and means operative by the turning of the door-shaft to release said latch members. v

16. The combination of a door-shaft, a loose sprocket on the door-shaft, means for turning the sprocket, a rocking platform, means to lock the sprocket to the door-shaft, said last-named means including a pivoted clutch member carried by the sprocket, and a fixed clutch member on the door-shaft engageable by said movable member.

17. The combination of a door-shaft, a loose sprocket on the doorshaft, means for operating the sprocket, a hinged platform, a movable clutch member on the sprocket, a corresponding fixed clutch member on the door-shaft, a cam member interposable in the path of said movable member to actuate the latter, and means operated by the platform to actuate said cam member.

18. The combination of a door-shaft, a loose sprocket on the door-shaft, means for operating the sprocket, a hinged platform, a movable clutch member on the sprocket, a corresponding fixed clutch member on the door-shaft, a cam member interposable in the path of said movable member to actuate the latter, means operated by the platform to actuate said cam member, and means inde-v pendent of the platform to disengage said clutch members.

19. The combination of two hinged plat-. forms, two door-shafts between the platforms, doors on said shafts, means to hold said doors normally closed, means operative by one platform to turn said door-shafts in one direction, means operative by the other platform to turn said door shafts, in the opposite direction, and shiftable stop members operative by one platform to prevent the ac tuation of the other platform, spring-latches engageable with said stop members to hold them in operative position to prevent theactuation of a platform.

20. The combination of two hinged platforms, two door-shafts between the platforms, doors on said shafts, means to hold said doors normally closed, means operative by one platform to turn said door-shafts in one direction, means operative by the other platform to turn said door-shafts in the opposite direction, shiftable stop members operative by one platform to prevent the actuation of the other platform, spring-latches engageable with said stop members to hold them in operative position to prevent the actuation of a platform, and means operated by the opening movement of the doors to release said latch members.

21. The combination of two hinged platforms, two door-shafts between the platforms, doors carried by said shafts means for maintaining the doors normally closed, means operative by one platform to open the doors in one direction, means operative bv the other platform to open the doors in the opposite direction, said means for opening the doors including loose sprockets on the shafts, clutch members on the sprockets, and corresponding clutch members on the shafts, movable cams operative on the depression of a platform and interposable in the path of the clutch members on the s rockets, and means independent of the platf drms to retract said cams.

22. The combination of two door-shafts, doors carried thereby, means for maintaining the doors normally closed, a movable plat form, loose sprockets on the shafts, means for operating the sprockets simultaneously in opposite directions, clutch members on the sprockets, corresponding clutch members on the shafts, cams engageable with certain of said clutch members to lock the sprockets to the shafts, a rockable part connected with said cams, means for maintaining said cams in normally inoperative position, and means to rock said rockable part on the depression of the platform to place said cam in operative position with respect to said clutches.

23. The combination of two door-shafts,

doors carried thereby, means for maintaining the doors normally closed, a movable platform, loose sprockets on the shafts, means for operating the sprockets simultaneously in opposite directions, clutch members on the sprockets, corresponding clutch members on the shafts, cams engageable with certain of said clutch members to look the sprockets to the shafts, a rockable part connected with said cams, means for maintaining said cams in normally inoperative position, means to rock said rockable part on the depression of the platform to place said cam in operative position with respect to said clutches, and means operated by the opening of the doors to reset said cams in inoperative position in de endent of the platform.

11 testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

KENZAEMON NISHIMOTO. Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, CHAs. E. TOWNSEND. 

